In article ,
K wrote:

I've been worrying about your bay as the leaves seem very big. So I went
and picked the largest leaf I could find off mine at the bottom of the
garden - like yours, a tree cut down to a bush. That leaf is 155mm x
65mm, so yours is certainly within range!

Mine vary between years. The problem is that there is a massive
overlap between the ranges of size for Laurus nobilis and Prunus
lusitanica, as well as in glossiness. Apparently, some varieties
of P. laurocerasus have the same shape, though the very common
one has much larger, lighter and more rounded leaves. There are
a great many other bushes with similar leaves and growth habit, but
I can't identify any that are commonly grown in the UK.

I am afraid that, for the average amateur, only leaf scent, flower
and fruit are much use for identification. Bean implies that the
Prunus don't have leaf-stalks, which might help, but L. nobilis
stalks very between negligible and an inch or two - and I don't
have a P. lusitanica to check that the leaves are stalkless.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.